RATING: 
½
By Shawn McKenna
Date Reviewed: 10/1/99
If you cannot appreciate good trash, then you should not be a movie critic. Martial art films have always been a special interest of mine. I tend to forgive many plot holes, you can drive a truck through some of the plot holes in this movie, if the action is fast and furious. I could only recommend this film to action buffs or Van Damme fans. Hong Kong directors have been very influential in the past decade. John Woo has been a favorite of Tarantino and made the incredible film Face Off. Jackie Chan has made great strides in American popularity. Now Tsui Hark has made this enigmatic film. American action directors should take note of Tsui Hark's filming. He makes most directors seem anemic. One fight scene is awesome. It involves a foot with a switchblade.
This film will be known for the teaming of Dennis Rodman (Yaz) and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dennis Rodman made a wise choice here. He chose a supporting role as a weapon's supplying deviant. His acting ability is shaky and he spits out horrible basketball puns at the most inappropriate times. Nevertheless, it is smart to choose a small role when you are a beginner. This is in contrast to Shaquile O'Neal's putting himself in the main roles of bad films when he should have done more support acting. Now Van Damme's ability to act is the same as it ever was -- mediocre as long as he stays away from emotion.
Now I wonder, what happened to Mickey Rourke? Apparently he has been boxing and is the antagonist in this film. After a promising career in the 80's, he has disappeared in the 90's. Rourke plays as Stavros, an independent mercenary who is currently after Van Damme. Van Damme is partially responsible for the death of Stavros's son and wife at a blown sting operation at an amusement park. Later, Stavros blows up Van Damme, but does not kill him. Van Damme wakes up in a colony of former agents who now help protect the world. He cannot leave and the world thinks he is dead. Stavros later takes Van Damme's wife (who is pregnant) for revenge.
This film plays more like anime than it does anything else. There are logic holes everywhere, but there are interesting characters and plot turns. There are cybermunks -- priests who live underground connected to the Internet, plenty of action, life-saving coke machines, and lots and lots of unnecessary violence (though not too gory). In fact, I am a bit surprised that it is rated R. I could almost recommend this film, if it was not for the ubiquitous logical mistakes. It made me wish that I could have had a hand in the script and blot out several things. One scene had Yaz move a cross over a land mine and place it at a different position. Now guess who stepped on the false mine and who stepped where the cross was relocated. In addition, a tiger knew where all the land mines were planted. Why was there a tiger there? Do not ask.
DOUBLE TEAM (1997)
| CAST |
| Jack Quinn: | Jean_Claude Van Damme |
| Yaz: | Dennis Rodman |
| Stavros: | Mickey Rourke |
| Goldsmythe: | Paul Freeman |
| Natacha Lindinger: | Natacha Kath |
| CREDITS |
| Director: | Tsui Hark |
| Written by: | Don Jakoby |
| STATS |
| Running Time: | 93m. |
| Rated: | R |
| Genre: | Martial Arts/Action |
| Country: | USA |
Other Critics:
| Roger Ebert |  |
| Leonard Maltin | ???? |